The Minister of Environment and Energy, Th. Skylakakis, described the compensations that will be given to fishermen, due to the installation of offshore wind farms in the Evros region, as “very important”. Responding in the Parliament to a relevant topical question by the member of Hellenic Solution, P. Papadakis, Mr. Skylakakis said that within the next few weeks there will be a relevant discussion with the local fishermen, noting that “only the fishermen will benefit, and in terms of the fishing population , that is, they will have more fish in the wider area, and in terms of real compensations which will be very important”.

Elaborating on his question, Mr Papadakis said that the installation of offshore wind farms would create a problem for both fishermen and biodiversity, and that the government was reportedly determined to go ahead with the project despite negative opinions from relevant authorities. He even invited the minister to say “specifically, what will be these reparations” to the fishermen, and if there was a relevant consultation.

In his reply, Mr. Skylakakis said that the compensations for the reparations are the subject of a discussion, which has already started between the Ministries of Rural Development and Environment & Energy. “We will listen to the fishermen closely, since the specific projects are still in the early phase: They are in the phase of researching the wind potential and weather conditions in the area. Before we get to the next phase which is the progress of the projects with the environmental studies, and after we see where specifically the wind turbines will go, how many there will be, what revenue they will generate, and after we have also completed the consultation with the fishermen – why we need to see also the cost, caused, the number of wind turbines and where they will go, the actual limitation that the fishermen will have – we will come to give a fair and very satisfactory compensation. We are talking about projects, the implementation of which is scheduled for 2029-2030, and within the next few weeks we will have the relevant discussion with the local fishermen” said Mr. Skylakakis.

Finally, commenting on the environmental dimension touched by Mr. Papadakis, Mr. Skylakakis said that “Europe has the most advanced environmental legislation on the planet, much more than other regions, see Russia, etc., which work on the opposite side, while we also have a Council of State, which is extremely environmentally sensitive.”